Training of Polish soldiers on Abrams tanks began on Wednesday at the training ground of the Land Forces Training Centre. It was observed by Minister of National Defence Mariusz Blaszczak. “Our task is to increase the defence forces of the Republic of Poland. Equipping the Polish Army with the most modern tanks will serve to do it, because Abrams tanks are the most modern tanks in the world”, said the minister.

During his speech, Mariusz Błaszczak stressed that the commencing course gives the opportunity to quickly prepare Polish soldiers and Polish technicians to operate Abrams tanks in a short period of time.

“Our goal is that the tanks, once they are equipped for the Polish Army, can be operated by trained Polish soldiers and this will happen. We are also keen to develop interoperability with the US military’, the defence ministry chief noted.

Capt Marcelina Kusza-Sulowska of the Land Forces Training Centre in Poznań said that the visit of the head of the Ministry of Defence officially begins training on American equipment. She added that the training underway in Poznań is part of the package received with the purchase of the tanks, and that personnel from the US armed forces will train Polish soldiers depending on the purpose, specialisation and specification of activities performed by the tanks.

“About 150 Polish soldiers will be trained by the end of this year, and the training will continue next year as well”, announced Captain Kusza-Sulowska.

In April, the Ministry of Defence signed a contract for 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks, with deliveries scheduled for 2025-26 years. This year, the Polish army will receive 28 tanks of the older SEPv2 variant for training purposes. 116 of the vehicles in the target specification are expected to arrive in Poland next year.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński